Cleaning apparatus



July 8, 1930.

AG. B. CRISP CLEANING APPARATUS Filed Dec. 27, 1927 IN V EN TOR.

A TTORNEYS.

Patented July 8, 1930 UNITED STATES GEORGE B. CRISP, OF ASTORIA, NEW YORK CLEANING APPARATUS Application filed December 27, 1927. Serial No. 242,608.

This invention relates to cleaning apparatus and particularly to so-called steam tube blowers, that is, devices which are adapted to remove soot or other dirt from steam boiler tubes by means of a jet or blast of steam.

blast against the boiler tubes to clean them.

ln order to reach tubes which are located some distance back of the boiler opening a blower of considerable length may be required. In many locations, due to the close spacing of boilers or boiler sections from one another, there is very little space available outside the opening and it is often impossible to use a long blower because the limited space available does not permit along blower to be inserted in the opening.

One object of the present invention is to provide a collapsible or telescopic blower which may be adj usted so that it is relatively short and so may be easily inserted into the boiler openings even though the space outside the opening is much restricted and which 80 when inserted in the opening may be extended or elongated so that the blower nozzle may be brought into operative position relative to tubes located some distance from the boiler opening.

A further object of my invention is to provide a blower of this character with an improved means for extending or elongating the blower and for collapsing or shortening the same.

In the embodiment of my invention herein disclosed, the blower comprises a number'of concentric tubes which telescope one into another. These tubes Serve to direct the flow of steam or other iluid to a jet nozzzle carried by one of the telescopic tubes.

For the purpose of moving the telescopic tubes relative to one another so as to extend or elongate the blower, I make use of the pressure of the steam as it passes through the 50 blower. Certain of the telescopic tubes are formed so as to constitute, in effect, istons which operate in the outer tube of the lower, and these pistons, acting under the influence of the steam as it flows through the tubes move outwardly through the outer tube an carry the nozzle to the desired location. In order to avoid leakage or other injury to the apparatus by a too ra id movement of the tubes, I provide a suita le braking or hindering means which may be adjusted so as to regulate the forward motion of the tubes as desired.

A further object of my invention is to provide in a device of the character described an improved means for retracting the tubes. In the particular embodiment of my invention herein disclosed, this means consists of a manually rotatable shaft and a iexible connection, such as wire, between the shaft and tubes. Rotation of the shaft winds the wire on the shaft and so retracts the tubes and nozzle carried thereby.

'lhe blower constructed in accordance with my invention is simple and economical in construction, light in weight, easily operated and strong, durable and eilicient in use.

Other objects and advantages will appear from the following description taken in con. nection with the accompanying drawing which illustrates one embodiment of my invention and wherein;

Figure l is a longitudinal sectional view, partly in elevation and partly broken away, of a blower showing the blower tubes in their telescoped or retracted positions.

Figure 2 is an end elevation of the structure shown in Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a sectional View taken on the line 3-3 of Figure 1.

Figure 4 is a side elevation of the blower, showing the telescopic tubes extended.

The blower comprises a body portion consisting of a casing 10 having an inlet opening 12 in which is screw-threaded a nipple or pipe 13 adapted to conduct steam or other fluid 9 to the interior of the casing 10 and said casing also having an outlet opening 15 into which is screw-threaded a pipe or tube 16. One end of the casing 10 is closed by means of a plate 11 bolted thereto, a suitable gasket which may be of the usual form employed in a device of this character.

Screw-threaded to the inner end of pipe 19 is a nut 22 which is rounded olf at its corners so as to form bearing surfaces 24 for sliding en agement with the inner wall of tube 18. etween the bearing surfaces 24, thenut 22 is spaced from the tube'l, as indicated at 28 in Figure 3, so as to perrit steam from the casing 10 to flow past the nut 22,

into the space between tubes 18 and 19, for a purpose which will be explained hereafter.

Slmilarly, tube 18, which slides in tube 16, is provided at its inner end with a nut 30, havin rounded surfaces 31 for engage# ment wit the inner wall of tube 16; there being spaces 32 between'the nut 30 and the tube 16 to permit steam to enter the-space between tubes 18 and 16. y

The outer end of tube 18 is provided with a bushing 35 which is adapted to be engaged, by the nozzle 20 when the tubes are retracted so that retraction of tube 19 will retract tube 18 and which is also adapted to be engaged by nut 22 when the tube 19 is fully extended so as to prevent the end of tube 19 moving out of tube 18. Similarly, tube 16 is provided with a bushin 36 which serves as a. stop for the nut 30 an prevents tube 18 Afrom moving-entirely out of tube 16. Secured in the nut 22 and extending across the opening therethrough is a pin 26 to which is secured one end of the wire or other flexible connection 37. Wire 37 is wrapped around a drum 39 .which is secured to or formed integral with a rotary shaft 40. Shaft 40 is mounted to rotate in bearing members 41 and 42 which may be formed of pipe nipples screwthreaded into the walls of casing 10. A crank 44 secured to one end `of the shaft 40 serves..

as a means for rotating the lshaft 40 and drum 39 so as to wind wire 37 on the drum, or

unwind it therefrom.

The end of the shaft 40, remote from the crank or handle 44, is formed with a longitudinal bore or recess 50 in which isv held a spring 51 which bears at one end against the inner wallof the recess and is-engaged at its other end by a bearing block or washer 53. Washer 53 is adapted to be moved inwardly to compress the spring 51, by means of hand screw 55 which is screw-threaded through and supported by a stationary yoke .orframe 56 mounted on the casing 10.

By turning screw 55 to compress spring 51, s ring 51 forces the shaft 41 in an up- `war direction as viewed in Figure 1 and causes the upper end of drum 39 to bear -against the lower end of bearing 41. Frichinders the rotation of the shaft 41, thus serving as a brake for the shaft. It is clear that the amount of friction or braking action on the shaft 4l may be adjusted by turning the screw 55. If desired, the frictional bearing surfaces may be roughened so as to increase their braking effect.

Stuiiing boxes 60, at the outer ends of the bearings 41 and 42, serve to prevent leakage of steam out of casing 10 along the shaft 4l. In operation the blower is inserted into the boiler or tube nest and steam from any suitable source is admitted to the casing 10 through the pipe 13. Pipe 13 will ordinarily .be connected to the steam source by a flexible pipe yor hose, so vas to permit the blower to be moved about during ,the operation. 1f desired, the pipe 13 may be provided with a valve for controlling the sup ly of steam to the casing 10. The steam w ich enters the lcasing passes out through the opening 15 into the telescopic tubes and flows through the inner tube 19 to the nozzle 20. The steam preslre acting on the inner ends of nuts 30 and 7 their extended position as shown in Figure 4. As the tubes move outwardly the wire 37 is unwound from 39, thus rotating the shaft 40. The .s eed of outward motion of these tubes may e controlled by the operator from crank 44 and, by stopping the rotation of crank 44, the operator may sto the motion of the nozzle 20 at any desire point. The openings 28 and 32 between the nuts 22 and 30 and the respective tubes in which they slide Apermit steam to escape into spaces between the tubes, thus relieving the inner ends of tubes 18 and 19 from excessive steam pressure, as otherwise the steam pressure mi ht cause a too rapid movement of these tu es and result in breakage or other injury to the apparatus. Outward motion of the tubes 18 and 19 ma also be retarded by the spring 51 which orces the drum 59 into the frictional engagement with thebearing 41.

From the above, it will be seen that the pressure of the steam in the blower is employed to extend the inner tubes 18 and 19 to any desired extent and in this manner the nozzle 20 is moved inwardly from the boiler opening to a position to direct the cleaning blast of steam onto boiler tubes located a considerable distance back of the boiler opening. To retract the telesco ic tubes the crank 44 is rotated to wind t e wire 37 on drum 39.v The blower may then be withdrawn from .the boiler o ening.

Interior parts of the b ower, such as tubes 18 and 19 and wire 37, are preferably formed of Monel metal or other material that is not easily eroded by contact with moving steam.

It will be understood that the embodimentof my invention herein disclosed is merely illustrative, and various changes may be made without departing from the spirit orces the tubes 18 and 19 outwardly to 1 meente and scope ot the invention as est @wth in the following claim.

I claim:

A portable blower adapted to be held by the operator comprising a casing having; steam inlet and outlet openings, a pipe cured to said Casin and communicating with said outlet opening, a second pipe tetescopieaiiy movable in said Erst named pipe, said second pipe being adapted to be motfed outwardly through said first named pipe by the pressure of steam iiowng through sew? pipes and means tot moving said second pipe. inwardly through said i'st named pipe ane.; for controlling the outward movement of said second pipe, said means comprising a rotary shaft mounted in said easing, means for preventing longitudinal movement of said shaft, a spring adapted to force said shaft into frictional engagement with said last named means, means carried by said casing for adjusting the pressure of said spring on said shaft and a wire connecting said shaft and second tube and adapted to be wound on said shaft.

Signed at New York city, in the ceunty of New York and State of New York this 24th day of December, A. D, 192% GRGE B., CRISE 

